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J. M. MACDONALD. DEGORTIGATING APPARATUS.

No. 597,993. Patented Jan. 25, 1898.

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I (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. M. MAGDONALD. DEOORTIGATINGAPPARATUS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT JOHN MALCOLM MACDONALD, OF LOh DON, ENGLAND.

DECORTICATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,993, dated January25, 1898.

Application filed May 28, 1896. Renewed May 21, 1897. Serial No.637,627. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN MALCOLM MAC- DONALD, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain,residingat2Victoria MansionsflVestminster, London,England, have invented certain new and Improved Apparatus forDecorticating Rhea-Grass and Similar Fibrous Plants; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

In the treatment of rhea-grass, for example, for the purpose ofobtaining the fiber of same for commercial purposes it is necessary toremove the bark from the coating of fiber that surrounds the interiorwood or pith and to extract the latter, such operations being necessaryprevious to degumming the fiber to render it fit for combing andspinning. An apparatus according to the present invention has referenceto such preliminary treatment of rhea-grass in conjunction with theinvention patented by Henry Hungerford Boyle, bearing date March 12,1895, and numbered 535,665, but may advantageously be employed fordecorticating and extracting the interior wood or pith from rheagrassand similar fibrous plants when the fibrous portion is subjected toother treatment than by Boyles invention aforesaid.

This invention will be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 illustrates a sectional side elevation of adecorticator constructed according to this invention, and Fig. 2represents a sectional plan of the same.

1 represents a suitable framework, upon which is mounted a shaft orspindle 2, having the drum 3 keyed thereon. This drum has side flanges4: between which are arranged the heaters 5, extending across theperiphery of the drum. These heaters are formed with rounded frontedges. Knives 6 are attached to the heaters 5 to separate the fiberslongitudinally.

7 represents a feedingchute, by means of which the grass is fed to thedrum.

8 is a roller which may be either longitudinally grooved, as shown, orsmooth, and is journaled at the inner end of said chute. This roller isdriven from the shaft 2 by means of a belt or chain 9 and suitablepulleys or gearing, and is rotated with the upper side of its peripherymoving toward the periphery of the drum 3. The feeding-chute has ahollow base 10 for liquid, which enters at inlet 11 and passes out atoutlet 12, meeting the roller 8, and is carried around by it to act onthe fiber.

This liquid may be an acidulated or an alkaline solution, according tothe class of fiber to be operated upon. The use of such liquid I havediscovered assists the beaters in removing a larger proportion of thegum or resin than they would otherwise do and renders the subsequentdegumming operation more easy.

13 represents a guide-shield beneath the chute to assist the redrawingout of the fiber after removal of bark and interior wood or pith.

When this apparatus is in practical use in the field, a series of drumsor heaters, with other described parts, are arranged along a shaft atsuitable intervals, one man being employed to feed in the plant to each,the shaft being revolved by suitable power.

The drawings illustrate a means for revolving a machine according tothis invention by manual power. In this arrangement a pinion 14 is keyedonto the end of the shaft or spindle 2 and gears with a toothed wheel15, carried on a short spindle 16, bolted to side of the main frame 1. Ahand-Wheel 17 is keyed to the outside end of the spindle 16 to revolvethe same.

18 designates an iron guard or cover for the drum 3, as seen in Fig. 1.

When the plant to be treated is particularly tender, the grooved roller8 may be removed and replaced by a smoother-faed one and thefeeding-chute is made adjustable to or from the drum 3 by set-screws 19,working in slots 20. To assist the momentum of the drum when themachinery is worked by hand, the spindle 3 may have a fly-wheel mountedthereon.

The apparatus is operated in the following manner: The feedin -chute isfirst adjusted to set the feed-roller 8 as near the periphery of thebeaters as desired, according to the fiber to be treated. The plant ispassed into action of the roller and the heaters, the latter of whichbreak the interior wood or pith of the plant at short intervals over theroller. The plant is never released by the operator; but after passingin as far as it will go it is then drawn back and the other end passedin. The same action which breaks the interior wood or pith effects theremoval of the bark. The pieces of bark and other matter removed by theabove operation fall into a suitable receptacle, from which they arecollected and carried away.

The decorticator maybe driven singly or a number together upon the sameshaft and from the same source of power, and the power may be eitherhand or machine power, as desired.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an apparatus for the treatment of fibrous plants for removing thebark and extracting the interior Wood or pith, the combination with adrum rotatablymounted in a suitable frame and having flanges upon eachend thereof; blunt-faced cross-heaters extending across said drumbetween said flanges, knives between said heaters, and means forrotating said drum; of a feeding-chute, and a feed-roller mounted at thedischarge end of said chute, and means for driving said feedroller,substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for the treatment of fibrous plants for removing thebark and exfibrous plants for removing the bark and extracting theinterior wood or pith, the combination with a drum rotatably mounted ina suitable frame and having flanges upon each end thereof, blunt-facedcross-heaters extending across said drum between said flanges, knivesbetween said heaters, and means for rotating said drum; of an adjustablefeedingchute having a hollow base provided with inlet and outletopenings for liquid, the outlet of said chute being near the peripheryof said- 'drum, a grooved feed-roller mounted at the discharge end ofsaid chute and means for driving said feed-roller from the shaft of saiddrum, substantially as described.

JOHN MALCOLM MACDONALD.

WVitnesses: FREDERIO PRINCE,

ARTHUR HUTCHINSON.

